Alex Salmond and Lesley Evans correspondence: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. All correspondence, notes and minutes mentioning Alex Salmond, or from Alex Salmond, received and sent by the Scottish Government, including internal, between November 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.
2. All correspondence, notes and minutes mentioning Lesley Evans, or from Lesley Evans, received and sent by the Scottish Government, including internal, between September 1 2023 and the date of this FOI.
3. How many different requests were made by the Salmond Inquiry at Holyrood for documentation and how many of these were accepted and rejected? List of these documents if possible.
4. What preparation has the Scottish Government done so far for Alex Salmond's latest court action as reported here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-67517416
Response
In response to your first question, I enclose a copy of some of the information that you have requested.
Some of the information you have requested included news articles. These are available from:
Alex Salmond: How to best use Scottish bonds to benefit all | The National
Alex Salmond launches £3m legal action against Scottish Government | The Herald (heraldscotland.com)
ALBA’s New Year Message 2023 – Alex Salmond ‐ Alba Highland
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under sections 30(b)(i) free and frank provision of advice; 30(b)(ii) (free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation); 30(c) (effective conduct of public affairs); 36(1) (confidentiality in legal proceedings); 36(2) (actionable breach of confidence) and 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA apply to the information you have requested. The reasons why these exemptions apply are set out in the annex to this letter.
In response to your second question, I enclose a copy of some of the information that you have requested.
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide the information you have requested because exemptions under sections (30)(c) (effective conduct of public affairs); 36(1) (confidentiality in legal proceedings); 37(1)(b)(i) (lodged with a person conducting an inquiry or arbitration, for the purposes of that inquiry or arbitration); 37(1)(b)(ii) (created by a person conducting an inquiry or arbitration, for the purposes of that inquiry or arbitration) and 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA apply to the information you have requested. The reasons why these exemptions apply are set out in the annex to this letter.
In response to your third question, all of the information you have requested is available from:
Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints | Scottish Parliament Website
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
In response to your fourth question, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide further information as an exemption under section 36(1) (confidentiality in legal proceedings) of FOISA applies to the information you have requested. The reason this exemption applies is set out in the annex to this letter.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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